


Dreams of Past Nightmares

by elliemoran



Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: Dreams, F/M, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2018-03-04 03:41:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2908022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elliemoran/pseuds/elliemoran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few days after THAT scene (the one involving the whole bite/hickey thing), and Ren is dreaming. It's the type of dream that used to always turn into a nightmare, quickly, but this time things are a little bit different.  </p><p>Mostly because of a kid named Setsu.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dreams of Past Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maraiya-chan](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=maraiya-chan).



> This is my gift for maraiya-chan on the Skip Beat secret santa exchange.
> 
> I've never actually written any Skip Beat drabbles (or fic) before, which is odd seeing as these two are most very favourite OTP in the entire world, so I hope I did them justice. Especially with the whole multiple characters sharing the same body thing, which I made even more complex by playing with their ages. But I really just thought little Cain and little Setsuka would be the cutest things ever, and this whole thing kind of grew out of that. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy, and happy holidays!

Ren knew he was asleep.

Kicking his dangling legs through the air, he sat on the bench of an old, weather beaten picnic table, watching the kids swarming over the playground in front of him. He had to be dreaming, he hadn’t been this short for a long, long time.

It wasn’t a bad dream, he didn’t think. The sky above was a perfect blue, and the playground was full of small children screaming loudly – and happily – as they clambered over and through brightly painted swing sets and raced across any available patch of flat grass, catching, kicking, or throwing variously shaped balls. In the distance, he could see a chain link fence enclosing them all.

It was the fence that had him remembering. He knew where this was. He glanced up at the building behind him. He’d gone to school here for a little while when he was about ten or eleven. When he’d been Kuon.

The sky didn’t seem so blue anymore.

His hands clenched around the edge of the solid wooden beam that formed the bench seat. Legs going still, he sat up straight, carefully inspecting the kids and teachers closest to him. 

Dreams that had anything to do with Kuon had never gone well.

Names floated through his head, as if he almost recognized a few of the face. But it had been a long time ago, he was actually asleep, and he hadn’t gone here long enough for any of the kids to get used to being in the same school as his too-famous parents’ son – and certainly not anywhere near long enough for him to make friends.

Still, the closer he looked, the more he was sure this place wasn’t exactly the same as the school he only dimly recalled.

For one thing, the usual reaction back then, when people had caught Kuon watching them, hadn’t been to run in the opposite direction.

That had started a few years later.

But in this dream, as soon as he’d catch someone’s eye, they’d turn and scurry away as fast as they could. He had an ever widening circle of no-one around him. He couldn’t decide if that made this a good dream or a bad dream.

He found the perfect opportunity to decide when he spotted one face he most definitely recognized.

Mr. Wallington had been an ass, a memorable one. He’d been so determined to not give Kuon the special treatment he was _sure_ every other adult in Kuon’s life was giving him that he’d happily searched out every opportunity to make Kuon’s life miserable.

The man stepped out from the shadows of the school doorway, puffy brown caterpillar-shaped eyebrows scrunched down low over his eyes, lips tightly pursed as he scowled out at the full playground. Ren slid off the bench, ready and waiting as Mr. Wallington’s head swung around.

Their eyes met, and Ren took one deliberate step towards the teacher. 

The blood seemed to drain from Mr. Wallington’s already pasty white face. He stumbled back a step, and then turned on his heel and ducked back into the building.

Very satisfied, Ren hitched himself back up onto the bench, swinging his dangling legs as he rested back against the edge of the table.

“Cain.”

He’d hated Mr. Wallington. This was starting to look more like a good dream. 

“Cain!” Tiny hands grasped his face, swinging his head around. “Caaaain. _Stop_ ignoring me.”

Ren blinked as he found a small girl kneeling on the bench beside him. She couldn’t have been more than five, maybe six. Shiny, pale hair, streaked in purple and pink, exploded out from her head. She wore a glittery black sticker shaped like a pair of crossed bones on her cheek, just below her eye. It matched the skull earrings dangling from her ears.

“Setsuka?”

Her lips curved up, and then Ren had a face full of blonde and purple hair as she turned and scooted backwards, plopping herself into his lap.

“Finally. I was getting so tired of waiting for you to think of me.”

Ren pushed her hair away so he could see her face again. “Are you really Setsuka?”

“Of course I’m Setsu.” The little girl sniffed, eyes on her hands as she straightened the frilly hem of her deep red tunic dress. She wore black tights and black Mary Janes, so shiny he could see the sky reflected in the patent leather. “Who else would I be when you’re being Cain?”

“Oh.” That explained all the people running away. “Aren’t you a little small to be Setsu?”

She made sure to look up, so he could watch her roll her eyes at him. “Well, you’re too small to be Cain. But this is your dream.” Turning back to face the front, she settled her head firmly against his shoulder. They both ignored the faces all around them turning to stare in their direction. “Honestly, you’re so silly, brother.”

“I see. I’m Cain.” Mini-Cain dreams seemed like they could be fun, especially if they came with a mini-Setsuka.  

As long as he wasn’t Kuon. That would be a nightmare.

Setsu huffed out an exasperated, exaggerated breath. “There’s nothing wrong with being Kuon either. You’re all you. Silly brother.”

Ignoring the fact that he evidently didn’t have to speak in this dream, Ren tugged at the purple ponytail poking out from the top of her head, pulling it back until their eyes met. “Who is this child that keeps calling her big brother silly?”

“Me. ‘Cuz you are.” She wrinkled her nose at him.

Ren tamped down his amusement. “I don’t think I heard you right. Who exactly is being silly here?”

“You are.”

“Are you sure about that?”

She nodded. And then she grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling as she reached up to pat his face. “But you’re _my_ silly brother. Nobody else gets to see it.”

The portion of Ren’s mind that knew he was dreaming decided that mini-Setsu was the most adorable little girl he’d ever seen, possibly excluding one.

“In _that_ case, can you beat them up for me?” 

Ren blinked. “Who?”  

“Them.” She turned, lifting a hand and pointing one purple painted nail at three little girls in matching pastel dresses, sitting side by side on three swings. As she pointed, the three girls lifted their noses, turning away in complete unison.

“They’re so stupid. I hate them.” She sank back in towards Ren as she carried on in a much smaller voice. “They’re mean.”

Ren studied the girls, and noticed all the other kids in their vicinity quickly scurrying out of the way as they met his eyes. “I can’t beat them up.”

“Why not?”

“Because they’re little kids.”

“So?” She shot a glance up at him, and sniffed. “Kuon would beat them up for me.”

“No, Kuon wouldn’t.”

She giggled, and settled herself firmly against his chest.

Ren sighed. “You know exactly how to handle those girls yourself, don’t you?”

“Maybe.” She started playing with earphones Ren hadn’t noticed he’d had hanging loose around his neck. “But it’s more fun to watch my brother scare them off.” She tugged at one of the earbuds. “Why did you always wear these?”

“I didn’t want to talk to anyone.” He’d forgotten about that habit. His eyes drifted over the full yard in front of him, and then at the building, starting to remember.

“Stop looking back.” Mini-Setsu grabbed his face, turning it back towards her. “You’re my brother now, right?”

Ren nodded slowly. “Right.”

“Good.” Her scowl eased, and she settled back into his lap.

She was definitely Setsuka, a very small Setsuka. She poked her hands out, examining the sparkly nail polish on her tiny fingernails. He found himself thinking that her whole outfit was remarkably well thought out for something he’d just dreamed up.

“Of course it is. I’m Setsuka Heel.” Setsu spoke simply, as if that explained everything. Which it did.

She dropped her hands, turning back to face the swings. “If you won’t beat up little girls, then what about those guys.” She pointed again.

This time, Ren found the swings occupied by three older teenagers, almost adults. These faces were more like the ones he’d expected to see when he realized this might be a Kuon dream. They stood and slowly started walking towards him.

Setting Setsu aside, Ren slid back off the bench. He wasn’t surprised when she slid off too, grasping his hand as she stood beside him.

As they got closer, he realized they were now people he recognized. Sho Fuwa, Reino, and behind them, a third blurry figure, a woman he’d never met, but he’d heard of. Kyoko’s mother.

“Yeah, I’ll fight these ones.”

“Good.” Setsu gripped his hand tightly. “I’ll help.”

But they weren’t in the playground anymore. The grass had disappeared, replaced by the mirror walled hotel elevator. Ren found himself staring at his reflection.

Kuon stared back out at him.

Setsu tugged at Ren’s arm. “See? You’re all you. Right?”

Ren nodded, watching Kuon nod in return. “Yes.” The colors in the dream were starting to fade to white.

_“Cain?”_

The girl holding Kuon’s hand in the mirror wasn’t Setsu, but another little girl he’d met, in Kyoto, with black hair and sparkling eyes. She beamed up at him. “Kuon’s not so scary, is he?”

_“Cain, breakfast is ready.”_

As Ren let himself slide fully awake, he found himself thinking that no, Kuon wasn’t scary at all.

Not anymore.


End file.
